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PLAYING FOR KEEPS

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Looking to inject some flair into a historical rivalary and to tie the present to the past - Meyers and GAR will be playing for more than bragging rights beginning tonight.

The teams will be playing for the Backyard Brawl Trophy and the winner will be allowed to keep it for one year in school's trophy case.

The idea came from former Meyers coach and current athletic director Mike Namey. He began thinking about it at the beginning of the summer and approached current Meyers coach Corry Hanson with the idea. From there, Namey decided to make it a reality.

"We are looking to take some of the things we have in this game with GAR and just make it unique as possible," Namey said. "The rivalry speaks for itself over 82 years. Adding this trophy I think gives both teams a new twist to bragging rights in the city."

Namey praised the work of Elle and Joe Schwab from Lasting Impressions for their work on the trophy which features a leather helmet at the top to signify the beginning of the rivalry when it was first played in 1931. At the base will be engraved plates with the results of every game played between the two Wilkes-Barre schools.

GAR won the first meeting, 6-0. The following year, Meyers won by the same score.

Through the years there have been some heart-breaking losses, breath-taking wins and some lopsided scores. But regardless, there is something special about the week leading up to the game.

"I think this is something that is long overdue," GAR coach Paul Wiedlich Jr. said. "I think with all the tradition within the city high schools, it's something the kids can fight for. I think it's great adding something like this to the game now and in the future."

The only year the game was not played was in 1971 because of a blizzard. Five of the games in the series have been decided by one point. The 1939 game ended in a 6-6 tie. Meyers won in 1945 by a score of 6-4 while GAR won the 1955 game, 6-2.

But the one game that sticks out the most for Wiedlich is the 2006 game when GAR was looking to finish the regular season undefeated. Meyers upset the Grenadiers, 34-33. The Grenadiers finished that season 10-2 while Meyers ended the year 5-6.

"We've been talking a lot this week about the tradition," Wiedlich said. "We're not just playing for ourselves. This game means a lot especially to the seniors. You see somebody 10 or 15 years from now you played against and if you lose, they are still busting you. It's something you never forget."

In addition to the trophy, Namey is looking to reconnect with the past. He looks at some of the former players who have played in this game and have gone on to have successful careers on the college and the professional level. He also looks at those who have gone on to become doctors, lawyers and business executives and believes the game is more about them than anything else.

"You look at the trophies that they play for in the Big Ten, there is such historical tradition in that conference that I think we can relate to that here as well," Namey said. "We have a great number of people who have passed through the halls and the fields that this trophy embodies. Now that I have been out of coaching I can get a better appreciation for how much it means to alumni and both schools regardless of the records."

Namey said he'd like to make it a true rivalry week in the future. He'd like to bring both teams together for a breakfast or lunch. He would also like to give alumni from each school the opportunity to present the trophy to the winning team. "There are a lot of people who have played in this game that have such strong emotions from whether it was a win or a loss," Namey said.

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